What Ozark Vigilantes of the 1880s Reveal about Modern America

All U.S. vigilante groups are in some way a representation of the American value of self-government. We are a society that was founded, at least in part, on the firm belief that the people have the right to create their own institutions of government, what is referred to as the “right of revolution,” expressed right there in the Declaration of Independence. If the government is not doing what it’s supposed to, if it’s not protecting the people’s liberties, if it’s not serving the people’s interest, we have the right to rise up and replace that government. The problem is, you cannot do that on a continuous basis and have a stable society.–Matthew Hernando